Dennis Hopper, un Angeleno en France

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It’s safe to say that Dennis Hopper’s counterculture credentials have long since passed their sell-by date -- consider his appearances in retirement commercials for Ameriprise Financial and his upcoming role in a cable TV spinoff of ‘Crash.’ The ‘Easy Rider’ star has even said he voted for George W. Bush. Twice.

In France, however, he is still regarded as a rebel and an artiste -- this week he received the title of Commandeur des arts et des lettres from the French government. And the Cinémathèque Française is holding an exhibition of his L.A. photography and artwork.

You can check out some of those photographs on the Cinémathèque’s website, where curators have created an interactive essay featuring Hopper in such exotic locales as Venice Beach, Beverly Hills and Miracle Mile. There’s also an interactive version of the exhibition catalog. (These sites are in French, but there are a number of images to click through.)

Even if you think he’s a sellout and a hack, Hopper remains an icon of an era. His artwork -- good, bad or mediocre -- are time-capsule documents of a vanished zeitgeist.

— David Ng